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Reimagining Experiential Learning at Georgetown

The Designing the Future(s) Initiative convened a group of faculty and staff whose work focuses on Experiential Learning during a Productive Open Design Space (PODS), part of the Center for New Designs in Learning & Scholarship’s Teaching, Learning & Innovation Summer Institute of 2016.

With the facilitation of CNDLS and Dawan Stanford from the Education Design Lab, the team met over four days with the goal of exploring collaborative approaches to Experiential Learning at the university. The PODS group consisted of Vice Provost Randall Bass and Director for Education and Academic Affairs Catherine Armour from the Office of the Provost; Beth Harlan and Mike Schaub from the Career Center; Craig Rinker and Jason Sanderson from the Office of Global Education; Matt Fortier from the Beeck Center for Social Innovation; Sonia Jacobson from Undergraduate Research; Erika Cohen-Derr from the Office of Student Engagement; and Andria Wisler and Amanda Munroe from the Center for Social Justice. Each of these campus units offers unique experiential learning opportunities for students; examples include CBL courses and Alternative Breaks through CSJ; GU Impacts through the Beeck Center, and study abroad opportunities through OGE. The cohort focused its efforts on creating a united front to support and enhance experiential learning opportunities at Georgetown.

The group worked towards rebundling the college experience and heightening collaboration between their organizations. Through a series of brainstorming and matrix activities aimed at identifying common goals and potential areas of collaboration, participants ultimately developed plans to pilot a common student application process for fellowships and other opportunities on campus and streamlining university funding, a shared vocabulary for experiential learning initiatives, and an online portfolio to document students’ educational journeys throughout university and beyond.

The cohort will continue to meet throughout the summer and the coming academic year to further iterate on the work spearheaded in the PODS groups over the course of the week.